Airline pilots will hold a White House rally on Tuesday asking President Donald Trump to block Obama’s last-minute approval of a plan that would replace thousands of American pilots with foreign aircrew paid at rock-bottom foreign wages.
The airline pilots’ appeal will come one day after Trump’s signature on Monday killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which would have allowed an unlimited number of foreign companies to replace U.S. workers with imported foreign workers paid $1 an hour wages.
“This [Obama pilot] decision is just another failed trade deal by the Obama administration, giving foreign companies an unfair advantage over U.S. companies,” said Captain Jon Weaks, Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association president.
“The Obama administration has tilted the field of play in favor of a foreign competitor and put thousands of good-paying, middle-class, U.S. aviation jobs at risk,” said Chip Hancock, chairman of the union’s governmental affairs committee. “We’re very pleased with the [new] president so far for what he’s done to squash these bad trade deals … [and] with the president’s pro-U.S. worker, pro fair trade mantra.”
Throughout his two terms, Obama worked to increase the annual inflow of foreign white-collar workers, and his last-minute regulations allow many more white-collar contract workers to get permanent residence.
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